Utrecht, Netherlands

Innovation Lab: Design Thinking for Socially-Relevant Innovation

We see an increase in the need for socially relevant innovation; to boost our networks, activate our communities, and contribute to a healthier society. We invite you to join our ‘learning-by-doing’ lab, focused on getting things done for a project that matters. We will aim to change the way you look at the world; more opportunity-oriented and less problem-focused. Enter Design Thinking; a creative, holistic, multidisciplinary approach based on strong fundamentals where co-creation takes central stage. To achieve this, we've set-up the innovation lab.

The didactical approach of this course may be quite different than what you would expect from a traditional module – with lectures with a written exam in the end. Instead, together with designers from the work field and an actual real-life client, we will guide you through a meaningful and valuable experience.

During this module, you will visit and work with a real-life client and help them to innovative by focusing on user-experience and the merits of co-creation. You will learn by doing and explore different perspectives, while in the meantime being offered important academic insights. Our goal is to create an innovation experience for you with all of the pressures and demands of the real world. The module will help you integrate your existing knowledge with new insights, step out your comfort zone and develop the mind-set, agility and resilience one needs in today’s dynamic world. During this learning experience, you will receive intensive coaching from experienced coaches as you apply best practices for co-created innovation and service-design.

This course is also part of the track: Innovation in European Business.

Course leader

Jens Gijbels, MBI

Target group

We are looking for students in Business or Engineering, who believe innovation is key and are curious about more creative approaches to innovation and development of services in the (near) future.

Course aim

To provide students with an understanding of a design thinking approach and the application of innovation to the services area. On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

Explain experience of services from a users’ perspective;
Understand and apply a service design process;
Use design thinking to develop innovative services;
Propose coherent strategies for designing services in ways that bring truly radical improvements from a users’ perspective.
If you are pursuing a specific learning goal, please reach out to ensure that we will meet your expectations.

Fee info

EUR 1115: Course + course materials

If you are a student you will receive a discount and pay a course fee of € 890
EUR 450: Housing fee (optional)